Triptych of the Madonna and Child: Detail of the predella – the Nativity

Typical of 15th-century and later works, Mary is shown setting the baby on a white cloth, which she holds by two edges. A later date for the triptych is suggested by the respectful treatment of the shepherds. Medieval works tend to portray them as yokels. Joseph's black hair and beard could also suggest a date later than Molanus' insistence in 1570 that he should not be portrayed as an old man.